1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method of film deposition. More particularly, the invention relates to a titanium nitride film chemical vapor deposition process on metal substrate using a magnetized sheet plasma source.
2. Description of the Related Art
Interest in new coatings and surface treatment methods has been on the upsurge during the last decade of the 1990s, especially for titanium nitride (TiN), gauging from the number of papers/patents published on this ceramic material. Titanium nitride films prepared on silicon are widely used as diffraction barrier layers in large-scale integrated circuits. A TiN film is also a remarkably hard and wear-resistant coating on tools since it decreases the rate of abrasive wear during the cutting process as well as the chemical interaction between the tool and the work piece because of its chemical inertness. TiN is a very stable compound that enhances the pitting resistance of many substrate materials in most environments. Several techniques such as chemical vapor deposition, physical vapor deposition, ion plating, ion beam-assisted deposition, sputtering, and hybrid processes have been used to prepare TiN films. The films produced by these techniques, however, often exhibit poor adhesion to the substrate. Coupled with this problem is the requirement of a high deposition temperature (>500 C) for the effective formation of the TiN film and the relatively long duration of time required for thin film formation. In many of these techniques, the plasma dimensions, and subsequently, the substrate size also limit the process of film deposition.